Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Tuesday, November 26, 2024.
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READ: Marcos on VP threat: I will uphold the law
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday broke his silence on Vice President Sara Duterte's statement over the weekend that she had contacted an assassin to kill him, first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez if something bad happened to her. In his first public comments on the matter, Marcos vowed to fight back in the face of a threat he called "disturbing." He said the issue would not have dragged on had Duterte and her office simply told the truth before the Senate and the House of Representatives, which are investigating the use of confidential funds in agencies the vice president headed.
READ: NBI says it will subpoena Sara
THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Monday said it is set to issue a subpoena to Vice President Sara Duterte over her threats to have President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos assassinated. In a briefing in Malacañang, NBI Director Jaime Santiago said they are looking to serve the subpoena at the soonest possible time, after which Duterte will have five days to appear before the agency to air her side. The agency's team of lawyers rolled out the investigation on Saturday, Nov. 23, immediately after the vice president's virtual press conference where she threw various accusations against the first couple as well as House Speaker Martin Romualdez. She also said she had contacted an assassin to kill the first couple and Romualdez if something bad happened to her.
READ: Duterte to take Lopez case to court
Duterte on Monday questioned the detention of her chief of staff Zuleika Lopez and said she would take the case to court. In its hearing on Monday, the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability extended Lopez's period of detention for another five days after it cited her for contempt. The committee had cited Lopez in contempt last week and detained her for five days. ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro moved to extend the period of detention "in view of what happened during the last two days or so." Lopez had said that persons "barged into" her detention room late Friday night and that she was forced to turn her phone over.
READ: Ignore political noise, troops told
ARMED Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. on Monday reminded soldiers not to be affected by recent political controversies in the country. Brawner urged them to continue to be professional and competent amid the political noise.Brawner's advice to soldiers came two days after Vice President Sara Duterte threatened to have President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez. The vice president said in a video segment that she had spoken with an assassin and instructed him to kill the first couple and the speaker if she were to be killed. Brawner said soldiers should not be affected by political events.
BUSINESS: Policy regularity urged as political row mounts
Over to business, the government should reassure investors of continued policy regularity amid a worsening rift between the country's two top officials, the president of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) said. The country's competitiveness, MAP chief Rene Almendras told reporters on Monday, is determined in part by its image and reputation. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte, who allied in 2022 to overwhelmingly win the elections that year, have been increasingly at loggerheads due to differing political agendas. Among others, Marcos has embraced the United States, reversing the pivot to China made by his predecessor, Sara Duterte's father Rodrigo. The former president also faces an international probe over his deadly war on drugs and the current government recently said it could cooperate with investigators. Sara Duterte, widely expected to run for the presidency in 2028, has faced criticism over her use of confidential funds as Education secretary.
SPORTS: Gilas Pilipinas braces for tougher road games
WHILE Filipino fans and Gilas players alike are still in Cloud 9 following the national squad's two-game sweep of the second window of their FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers, coach Tim Cone is taking a forward-looking approach already given the way preparation is being done in the tournament. Gilas gutted out a 93-89 decision over world No. 22 New Zealand last Thursday, before following that up with an overpowering 93-54 dumping of Hong Kong last Sunday to improve to 4-0 in Group B in the Qualifiers. The Philippines practically sealed its spot in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025, slated in August in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Gilas will take a brief two and a half month break, before regrouping sometime in February for the next window where the Philippines plays Taiwan and New Zealand in two away games.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta, and Orlando Mercado are today's front page columnists. Contreras called on Sen. Cynthia Villar to do more research on the Masungi Georeserve, Makabenta thinks the vice presidency should be subject to constitutional reform, while Mercado weighs in on Vice President Duterte's tirade over the weekend.
Today's editorial talks about senior citizens being part of the Philippine workforce. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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